Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Hello folks, I am grateful this forum exists. As some others have noted in their intros, there aren’t many windmill resources here on the East Coast.

This little valley where we’re situated in the western Virginia mountains is well suited for wind power. It has a southwest/northeast orientation that seems to siphon off wind from every passing front. The place we bought two years ago is located on a rise at the northeast end of the valley, aka the “receiving end.”

The property included a working Aermotor 702 windmill connected to a Baker Monitor pump on the wellhead. Total pump head is about 230 feet, 200 feet underground and a 30 foot rise to a 1,000 gallon tank located about 100 yards away.

It all needs to be serviced, top and bottom, so I look forward to learning enough now to keep it running and eventually to be able to share my experiences with future newbies.

Ok, so if you are a climber, and want to up, you can find out if it has oil in it or not. First of all what size is it? Aermotors are ....X is 6 ft (across the wheel(fan))..A is 8 ft, B is 10 ft. Most likely not 6 ft, due to water level. A or 8 ft is a maybe, but still water level is concerning. 10 ft would be reasonable, as it would have the power and onions to pull water from that depth. regardless, the oil level should be anywhere from the bottom of the big gears to about halfway up to the shaft of the big gears. Not any higher. When empty, a 6 footer takes 1 quart, 8 ft takes 2 quarts, 10 ft takes at least 2, maybe more....I'm not sure. Then you can use a spray (heavy) chain lube or something to lube everything on the outside that moves against something else. That's a good start, but there is more. This is just the easy stuff. Cover the welltop, use safety gear, and choose a calm day.

Oh, the size of the mill is on most cast parts, the letter (for size) the number ( for the part).

Dale , thanks for the video , sure looks great from a distance , just start with an oil change & general lube ,

My computer doesn't have the required whatever to watch the video. I was surprised, because most videos I can see.

Welcome to the forum Dale. I wasn't able to watch the video for some reason so anyway maybe some pics in the future. Keep us posted. Dan from the upper Northeast !!!

windybob wrote: ↑Mon May 27, 2024 12:24 pm Ok, so if you are a climber, and want to up, you can find out if it has oil in it or not. First of all what size is it?

Yeah, the climbing part is a bit daunting. I've gone up to the top, but not onto the platform. A local guy has a hydro lift. I am going to see if I can rent/borrow that to get up there. I don't know the size for sure yet, but I would guess it is an 8 foot because the owner I bought the place from said it uses 2 quarts.

Until this season it was putting water in that tank like a champ but I have noticed a big dropoff in its pumping ability this year. I believe it was first put into service in 2017 and I suspect it still has the original leathers, or what's left of them. So I will also be pulling that, checking the static water level, etc.

Windcatcher530 Dan wrote: ↑Mon May 27, 2024 3:06 pm Welcome to the forum Dale. I wasn't able to watch the video for some reason so anyway maybe some pics in the future. Keep us posted. Dan from the upper Northeast !!!

Thanks Dan. Hopefully this still image will post properly.

Do you know what type of plumbing you have down the well? Do you need to pull the pipe and rod at one time, or can you just pull the rod out of an open-top cylinder? Oh here's a tip. Take mommas desk mirror out to look down the well. lol Sunlight beats any flashlight no matter how you slice it.

I'm guessing it's an 8 ft mill. Should have an A on the case and cast parts. Oh and never trust a platform until it's tested. I think your idea is great.

windybob wrote: ↑Mon May 27, 2024 3:45 pm Do you know what type of plumbing you have down the well? Do you need to pull the pipe and rod at one time, or can you just pull the rod out of an open-top cylinder? Oh here's a tip. Take mommas desk mirror out to look down the well. lol Sunlight beats any flashlight no matter how you slice it.

I'm guessing it's an 8 ft mill. Should have an A on the case and cast parts. Oh and never trust a platform until it's tested. I think your idea is great.

Thanks for that info. I know very little about it right now, just what I can see from the outside. One thing I do know is that all the system plumbing is 36 inches deep and that no water comes out of the Baker pump on top. That would lead me to think that the pipe is connected to a pitless adapter with a diverter between the pitless and the pump head.

On my next trip up there in a couple of weeks I am going to pull a water tote out of the barn and connect that to the cabin to supply water. Then I can do a more thorough exam of what I have without having to rush to get it back together.